Galaxy missed a big opportunity Wednesday and will try again at home Sunday against Sporting Kansas City

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Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget (17) attempts a goal against the Real Salt Lake during the first half of a Major League Soccer match at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. on Sunday April 28, 2019. The Los Angeles Galaxy won the match over Real Salt Lake 2-1. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr, Contributing Photographer)

The last time the Galaxy played a home game, it sat in third place in the Western Conference standings.

The Galaxy returns home Sunday night against Sporting Kansas City (7 p.m.; Fox Sports 1) currently on the outside of the playoffs with time running out.

The Galaxy hasn’t helped itself. Since the July 19 win over LAFC, the Galaxy has a 1-6-2 record.

“I don’t think we have to play desperate from minute one,” Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget said. “I think if we play it smart … we know we have to win these games. There’s no doubt about that. Our fans know, we know.”

Of the Galaxy’s final five games, only Real Salt Lake is currently above the playoff line. The opportunity to climb in the Western Conference standings will be there, but will the Galaxy be able to take advantage is the question.

The other massive question is how a team as talented as the Galaxy continues to find itself in these late-season situations.

“At times, I think we slipped in games that we shouldn’t have early on and they catch up with you and we try to tell everybody that,” Lletget said. “It’s unfortunate, but we have control over what happens now. That’s all we can do.”

The Galaxy could have used at least a point Wednesday, but was on the wrong end of two critical calls late, eventually falling to Colorado 2-1.

“Things shouldn’t even get to that, in my eyes,” Lletget said. “We have to stick together to the very end, that’s the only way we can do this thing.

“We’re in good spirits still. We’re definitely confident. We owe it to our fans and to this club … it deserves to be in the playoffs.”

The Galaxy has missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons once before (2006-08). That seems liked a different time considering the disarray the club and front office were in before the arrival of Bruce Arena.

Last season, the Galaxy picked up 10 points in four games, heading into the final game of the regular season, but failed in a win-and-get-in playoff situation.

“We definitely want to repeat that run at the end, but definitely not that last game,” Lletget said. “It might come down to that last game (again) and we have to learn from that, but one step at a time. We have the game here on Sunday.”

Lletget and Jonathan dos Santos missed Wednesday’s game in Colorado due to the national team commitments. They will likely return to their starting midfield roles Sunday night.

Alessandrini working his way back

Romain Alessandrini has been sidelined since April following surgery to repair a meniscus injury.

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Alessandrini moved his rehab to the training field earlier this week and is nearing a return to full training.

“When he comes (back), the team will feel better,” Galaxy coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto said. “He’s a very important player for us.”

Schelotto said two weeks ago that Alessandrini would be ready for the last game Oct. 6 at Houston.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY at L.A. GALAXY

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park

TV/Radio: Fox Sports 1; KWKW/1330; LAGalaxy.com (English)

Update: SKC is also below the playoff line, entering the weekend with 37 points in ninth place. The club has never been able to get on track, hovering around ninth and 10th place in the Western Conference this season. The Galaxy won the first meeting 2-0 on May 29. Favio Alvarez, Rolf Feltscher, Giancarlo Gonzalez and Jorgen Skeljvik are all in yellow-card danger for the Galaxy. The next one and they will be forced to serve a one-game suspension.

Damian Calhoun is the Prep Sports Coordinator and writer for the Daily Breeze. He's also the soccer writer for the Southern California News Group, covering Major League Soccer and occasionally the U.S. national teams.

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